Livan Hernandez found a way to beat the Florida Marlins: by throwing curves slower than the team bus. Hernandez used his off-speed stuff to take a shutout into the seventh inning, helping the New York Mets hand the Marlins their first loss, 8-4 on Saturday night.

The St. Louis Cardinals reassigned Chris Perez to the minor leagues following their 2-1 victory over the Florida Marlins on Monday, clearing the way for Jason Motte to get the bulk of the work as their closer.

Lance Mackey remained in the lead Tuesday in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race as his team turned in the direction of Nome, and the end of the 1,100-mile trail, but it was Mother Nature that controlled the race.

Lance Mackey remained on course for a third consecutive title at the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, arriving first in the village of Koyuk on Monday while teams behind him headed their dog teams across the frozen sea ice and into brutally cold winds.

Desperate to stay in the playoff race, the New York Mets brought back their ace, Johan Santana, early and he delivered, pitching a three-hitter that led them over the Florida Marlins 2-0 on a rainy Saturday.

It's all slipping away for the New York Mets again. Mike Pelfrey lost to the Florida Marlins for the fourth time this year and New York's offense fizzled in a 6-1 defeat that put the fading Mets on the brink of elimination with two games remaining.